The Antarctic Sun, January 12, 2003

Home , World Park Base

Published during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for the United States Antarctic Program January 12, 2003 Road ends at the Pole ITASE starts slow, ends well By Mark Sabbatini Sun staff Their road trip to the South Pole took longer than expected, but in the end that also helped them gather more data and pick up tips for the future. Deep snow and deceptively tough hills slowed the U.S. component of the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) during the final season of a four-year mission. But participants used a two-week delay at the start to collect more information at base camp and tacked on an Photo by Kristan Hutchison/The Antarctic Sun extra journey at the end to get a feel for the Joe Mastroianni chips ice from the frozen surface of Lake Bonney. The ice chips are collected in area they may traverse next. buckets and melted down for water. “Of the 100 percent we planned to do…we did 120 percent,” said Paul Mayewski, the U.S. ITASE field leader. This season’s 15-member U.S. team is part of a 19-nation effort to provide an in-depth Finding water in a desert portrait of Antarctica’s climate, ice accumulation and atmospheric conditions for the past “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink…” 200 years. The U.S. trip from Byrd Surface — Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Camp to the South Pole came after three years By Kristan Hutchison springs into action, opening valves to of collecting data during trips on the West empty the pipes before they freeze and Antarctic Ice Sheet. Sun staff In Antarctica, a person could easily burst. The only reason the pipes don’t This year’s traverse got off to a rough start regularly freeze in the constant sub-zero Nov. 24 as the two “trains” of scientific vehi- die of dehydration surrounded by fresh water. temperatures is that they are all warmed cles, each pulled by a large agricultural trac- by heat tape, surrounded by at least two tor, immediately stalled in deep snow and The problem, of course, is it’s all frozen. inches of insulation, and the water in the traveled only 25 miles (40 km.) in two days. pipes continually circulates. Team members were planning to make the Considered a desert because of its lack of precipitation, Antarctica actually The water in the pipes comes from a 775-mile (1,240 km.) trip in 40 to 50 days, unique “well,” called a Rodriguez well including stops of several days at five sites to contains 90 percent of the world’s fresh water in its ice. But Antarctic stations or more commonly a “Rod well,” which collect scientific samples. melts the ice by squirting 80F- “Within 48 hours we realized we weren’t and camps must go to great lengths to produce something suitable for drink- (26C)degree water down a hole. going to make it,” Mayewski said during a “It’s as pure as it gets,” said Scott press conference conducted by telephone at 3 ing, cooking, washing and research. If the South Pole has a power outage, Smith, the construction coordinator in See ITASE on page 9 no matter how brief, the water team See Water on page 11 INSIDE Quote of the Week Mapping the sun Immigrant with sound oversees Pole “Adventure only happens when someone makes a mistake.” Page 7 science Page 14 - Old Antarctic explorer telling tales

www.polar.org/antsun 2 • The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003

Ross Island Chronicles By Chico I hear you guys are set to launch the Yeah, it takes about 29 million cubic Long Duration Balloon tomorrow. That feet of helium to fill it up. It’ll get to thing is pretty big, isn’t it? a height of 520 feet with a 485 foot diameter. Cold, hard facts Bergs vs. breakers

Number of icebreakers in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet: 4, but one never Are you thinking what Try not to suck too leaves the Great Lakes. I’m thinking? hard. You might get a bubble in your brain. Number of sizeable icebergs in the Ross Sea: 3 Length of the icebreakers coming to Ross Sea this season: Polar Sea – 399 feet (120 m), Healy – 420 feet (126 m) Length of the icebergs: C16 – 30 miles (48 km), B15 – 100 miles (160 km), C19 – 125 miles (200 km) Power of icebreakers: Polar Sea Congratulations...I just looked 75,000 horsepower, Healy 30,000 hp Hang in there and don’t let go...the up. I thought you guys were first bottle is only one fifth empty. Thickness of ice the breakers can ram sending the balloon up through: Polar Sea 21 ft (6.3 m), tomorrow? Healy 8 ft (2.44 m) Estimated thickness of the icebergs: B15 — 950 ft (290 m), C19 – 950 ft (290 m) Which would win in a head-on colli- sion: icebergs Sources: U.S. Coast Guard, National Ice Center, Kelly Brunt

Katabatic Krosswords: Your ship has come in The Antarctic Sun is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the United Across 1 1 1 1 2 States Antarctic Program. Its pri- 1. The Calif. port where the cargo ship departs 1 1 2 3 3. Where half of last year’s cargo was sent mary audience is U.S. Antarctic 7. The process of getting supplies off the ship 5 5 5 5 3 4 Program participants, their fami- 8. Comes after icebreaker and cargo vessels this 7 7 5 5 6 lies, and their friends. NSF year, a reversal of the norm 5 5 6 7 7 10. Volunteers who pull in ropes and help dock ships reviews and approves material 8 9 8 11. Needs to be carved out so ships can dock before publication, but opinions and conclu- 15. Stuff being sent back to the U.S. 9 10 sions expressed in the Sun are not necessari- 16. A.k.a. cutting a path through the ice 11 11 10 ly those of the Foundation. 17. The first type of ship to arrive Use: Reproduction and distribution are 19. The second icebreaker being deployed this year 20. These make it tough for ships to get through 11 12 13 encouraged with acknowledgment of source 14 13 and author. Down 15 Senior Editor: Kristan Hutchison 2. What stuff is stored in for shipping 14 15 Editors: Melanie Conner 4. The first icebreaker to McMurdo this year 14 16 15 Mark Sabbatini 5. In drydock this year, hence a different icebreaker 6. Research vessel visiting McMurdo this year 15 16 Copy Editor: Liz Connell, Wendy Kober 9. The new cargo ship 17 18 Publisher: Valerie Carroll, 12. The old cargo ship, which ended its run last year Communications manager, RPSC 13. Two of these leaders this year on new cargo ship 16 Contributions are welcome. Contact the 14. One way to go ashore without docking 18 19 18. Lots of these at Palmer, almost none at McMurdo Sun at [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit 18 our office in Building 155 or dial 2407. Solution on page 8 19 18 Web address: www.polar.org/antsun 1 1 20

Squares too small? No pencil to erase your mistakes? Try our interactive online puzzle at www.polar.org/antsun January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 3 Collecting mail from Antarctica By Mark Sabbatini Stamps commemorating expeditions have uments about people and moments in Sun staff been issued since at least the Heroic Era in Antarctica that might otherwise be largely ail a bill from Seattle and col- the early 1900s. The U.S. has had postal forgotten. His Web site, www.south- lectors leave you alone. Mail it service in Antarctica since 1928 and there pole.com, features materials ranging from from Antarctica and collectors were nearly 250,000 requests for South a letter addressed to Capt. Nathaniel B. of a different sort consider you Pole postmarks in 1956 when the govern- Palmer during an early 19th century ship a hot item. ment was encouraging such requests voyage to a full range of documents from MA postmark from the Ice can turn any- instead of imposing limits currently in the 4,700-member Operation Highjump thing from the writings of historic explor- place. led by Adm. Richard Byrd in 1948, the ers to a blank envelope into something Smith, a stamp collector since he was largest Antarctic expedition ever orga- sought by thousands of people. For many “8 or 9 years old,” said his focus is U.S. nized. it’s simply fun to collect Antarctic stamps, Antarctic Program envelopes dating back “The stories of the men who participat- mailings and similar items, but some say to the 1920s. His rarest envelope is one of ed on these adventures are nowhere to be their hobby is also making a vital contri- about 25 known worldwide bearing can- found in history textbooks in our schools, bution to history. cellation marks by Finn Ronne, leader of a colleges or universities,” he wrote. “I About 5,000 pieces of mail were sent to private 1940s expedition, which have sold don’t know how many times I’ve been Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station last for up to $2,500. told that if not for my website, the stories summer by people wanting nothing more Ronne, according to Smith, was made would die.” than a South Pole postmark on the return an unknown and unpublished postmaster Pierson estimates more than 35,000 envelope enclosed inside, wrote Scott by the U.S. government to counter the people a month visit his site. He is also a Smith, a plumber who handles the British occupation and postal presence at member of the American Society of Polar requests. Thousands more requests are Stonington Island. It’s a relatively obscure Philatelists, a 500-member organization sent to other stations. Groups meet online bit of Antarctic history, but for collectors founded in 1956 that hosts conventions, and in person around the world to com- like Smith it’s also one of the primary exhibits and other activities. pare collections, and businesses thrive attractions. More than 50 Antarctic philately sites selling commemorative stamps and “Besides being a collecting area, it is based in numerous countries can be found arranging for people to receive mailings also a great amount of history,” Smith on the Web, offering a variety of docu- from Antarctica. wrote. “The more you collect an area, the ments, history, auction updates and other “This is their piece of Antarctica,” more you want to know about what you information. Smith wrote in an e-mail. “These folks have in your albums. This then makes you Michael de Jong, a resident of the aren’t lucky enough to get here. So this is buy books and more books about the area Netherlands, operates an online polar phi- the next best thing.” you are collecting.” lately mail list with about 260 members, Collecting stamps and postage-related Gary Pierson, a Las Vegas resident, along with a Web site with features such items – known as philately – is hardly a said his longtime interest in philately has new interest when it comes to Antarctica. resulted in an extensive collection of doc- See Postal on page 6

Dear sir, please don’t write The National Science Foundation has a procedure to support philately at a level not to interfere with the science mission, which can be found in more detail at http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/philatelists.htm. Below is an excerpt: While in Antarctica, you may receive unsolicited philatelic mail from collectors. The Foundation discourages this unauthorized philatelic activity, and you will be entirely within your rights in declining to respond to such unsolicited requests. Please discard the material in the appropriate recycling container. If you receive large amounts of unsolicited philatelic mail, bring it to the attention of the station manager or the NSF Representative. Philatelic Mail Clerk Philatelists may obtain a maximum of two covers (self-addressed stamped McMurdo Station, envelopes) a year by writing to the postal clerks at the three year-round U.S. Antarctica Antarctic stations. No more than two covers per person per station per year. Covers PSC will be processed for personal, noncommercial use of individuals only. 469 APO AP 96599-1035 Covers are not processed if the guidelines are not followed. Philatelic mail is processed and returned to senders as soon as possible, but the processing is in addition to regular duties of station personnel. Some processing is done during the austral winter, when Antarctic stations are isolated, resulting in year- long (or longer) delays in mailing covers back to the collectors. 4 • The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003

Perspectives Perspectives Nuts in a nutshell: More self-absorbed palaver on our own uniqueness By Salvatore Consalvi physical search, common to all of us, that 19th century German patent office, will you journal is a person’s search for lurks beneath the surface? Probably not . . . find out that the guy distributing your mani- meaning from within the archive of but I’m on a roll! la folders is an expert in quantum physics? his or her own thoughts. Three sea- In a time when 30 miles, an easy two- In other words, there is an informal compo- sons of journal entries and I haven’t day walk from a road, qualifies a dot on the nent of the community led by an expert vol- stoppedA wondering about this place. There map as the most remote place in the Lower unteer that represents modern mankind’s remain many questions concerning the con- 48, we are afforded the great privilege of search for its cosmological myth. nection between the landscape and the cul- living on the outskirts of a vast wilderness. I’m afraid I’m sounding insane again. ture/subculture/remedial culture that arrives Or more exactly, in a sty, a boil, a cancor I’m surprised it took eight paragraphs. each season. What are you teaching me, that has developed on it. We are given the What is insanity but freedom? Liberation protecting me from, representing in my opportunity to consider what wilderness is from “logical” behavior, from spending life- subconscious? and the relationship we as individuals and time after lifetime in the pursuit of safety, As far as coming back year after year is cultures have established with it. comfort and security at the cost of your concerned — I have nothing better to do. Wilderness. The concept fits within the soul. One day I may enjoy the style of Since deciding a career was a “demeaning strata of the human consciousness like a insanity that will allow me to stop wearing 20th century invention” (ref. Into the Wild; trace element. We may not feel its presence pants in public, but for now I have to settle Krakauer) the manner by which I feed in our daily life, but it remains in our psyche for what I can get. I take pleasure in think- myself has lost relevance. What were most like the layers of ash from major eruptions ing that this form of freedom creates fear in computer programmers last decade but glo- that mark significant epochs. Certainly there the hearts of the hawkish and disappoint- rified factory workers? In college I spent 40 is a cultural aspect to how we process the ment in the wee cold recesses of the global hours a week putting plastic balls in the term. The emotions the word generates in shopkeepers who were counting on the pas- valves of plastic breast pumps. You can’t our imagination mark how far we have sage of my life being donated to their bot- tell me that that was less fulfilling or more developed or digressed. To most mere-con- tomline. Is this shift in favor of simplicity valuable than changing code for the Y2K sumers the wilderness is a fearful place that and freedom another yearning common to scare (ref. Office Space, the movie). regrettably contains the resources required this ephemeral community? Do we congre- Additionally, due to a penchant for trav- to feed our newest demi-god . . . the econo- gate in the frigid confines of McMurdo el, I find myself in debt and under the my. They, the tiny-Americans, fear the since these curiosities are not sated in the poverty level every April (actually I do my wrath of a bad economy like the “primi- saloons, salons, bistros, or universities of taxes in August). But these forms of social tives” feared . . . well I have no idea what our hometowns? anarchy or fiscal insanity cannot fully they feared. But the material-minions fear The people here are cold-filtered to explain the recidivism of which I speak. thunderbolts of high oil prices, tremors of remove the forms of idiots that distract and Why return to a continent denuded by low GNP, and the tsunamis of high unem- irritate me the most. Am I suggesting that nature itself? Or is that it? At the deepest ployment far more than most of us, who I we are free of stupidity? Of course not. I’ve level, does nature suggest that beauty and like to refer to as Antarcti-cats, fear dying or been to the bars on the weekend. I don’t like truth exist equally within the excesses of our public speaking. you people enough to ignore the truth. culture, the diversity of tropical environ- Even as the language of modern cosmol- I am suggesting that certain discrete ments and in this isotropic landscape? Are ogy approaches that of ancient religion and forms of ignorance, of human folly, are sta- we to learn something from this nothing- myth we ignore the possibility that the tistically lower to some incalculable, highly ness, from the antithesis of excess? We are wilderness is an entity all its own, a living arguable degree and that this creates the here allowed to contemplate time by the breathing sentient thing. Here on the Ice, intangible sense we are connected at some motion of glaciers. Do these symbols of scientists access the memory of the planet in level, other than our need to own more. geologic time hold some psychological, the strata of ice and ancient atmosphere These behavioral anomalies create the archetypal significance? Are the practices frozen in the present. And I’m not making illusion of existing temporarily in a haven. of the most simple Bahamian fisherman, the this up! The LTER project describes Protected from the mundane, from the poorest artisan, or most beleaguered GA, streambeds and algal mats as ecological inane, insipid lives of those that fear loss of DA and janitor as worthwhile as our most memory patterns. It’s only a matter of time opportunity more than they fear being on envied celebrities and what’s more, as much before some daring PI states that Ice Stream the wrong side of a moral issues. Those that as our greatest minds? Is doing nothing; tak- C felt bad that it could not communicate fear doing without the smallest of comforts, ing yourself as far as possible out of the car- with us or was lonely when they began the most artificial of manufactured needs, era de los rattones the best thing you can do studying Ice Stream D. Well . . . that may more than they fear intolerance, ignorance, for the earth, the universe, the cosmic con- not happen for a while. But Stephan in sup- violence perpetrated on their behalf. People sciousness? The answer is obvious, but try ply is presenting a cosmology video series whom fear being different more than they suggesting that to your accountant. that suggests the universe and everything in fear dying of boredom. I don’t expect that most of us conscious- it exhibits consciousness. And further . . . has feelings. Where else but Antarctica, or a Sal Consalvi is the environmental techni- ly consider these things, but is there a meta- cian at McMurdo Station. January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 5 around the continent

arrive. PALMER I can tell we’ve been at sea far too long when I start getting interested in geology See you on the radio and geophysics. The thought of acquiring By Tom Cohenour deep penetration data and bottom map- Palmer correspondent ping, and all of that coring and drilling The recent visit of the research vessel excites me. And this next cruise promises Laurence M. Gould brought big changes to to be especially exciting as it will involve Palmer Station. Each January at this time, all of that and more. the L.M. Gould hosts the month-long LTER Co-PI’s Bruce Luyendyk and Lou (Long Term Ecological Research) cruise. Bartek — along with seismic experts John Diebold, Dan Harold and a group of stu- Eight scientists from Palmer joined oth- Photo by Tom Cohenour/The Antarctic Sun ers aboard the L.M. Gould for the cruise, Radio producer Dan Grossman collecting dents from the University of California, while 12 people disembarked to work at radio stories for NPR at Palmer Station. Santa Barbara and the University of North Carolina — have boarded the N.B. station. when the dive is complete. Among those getting off to work at Palmer for a three-week seismic survey of Also arriving at Palmer were about 90 the southern Ross Sea. Their objectives Palmer was Dan Grossman, whose keen tourists, mostly Americans, traveling on interest in phenology and paleoclimatol- during this cruise are to understand the the Russian icebreaker Kapitan history of the Ross Sea during the ogy brought him all the way from Boston. Khlebnikov who paid an afternoon visit to As an independent radio producer and Mesozoic Era and to study the history of Palmer Station. Their 62-day circumnavi- Cenozoic Era glaciation. To do that they print journalist, Grossman’s work has fre- gation of the Antarctic continent began in quently been broadcast on National Public will conduct a seismic site survey and take New Zealand with stops at bases of sever- piston cores a kilometer or so north of the Radio and published in numerous national al countries. magazines. ice shelf front with the hope of using that After hosting the tourists on-station, information for a future drilling venture on While at Palmer, he’ll be producing personnel from Palmer were invited three stories and one documentary to be the Ross Ice Shelf. aboard the Khlebnikov for a complete tour At this point you may be scratching aired via radio. One story will explore the of the 420-foot (129-meter) ship, includ- impact of tourism on Antarctica while your head and wondering why they are ing a chance to mingle with some of the doing marine seismic for an ice-based another will take a look at the impact fish- passengers in the lounge. ing has on the Patagonian toothfish drilling project. Well, the trick is that the The ship - built in Finland, owned by area being surveyed (thanks to our behe- (Chilean sea bass). the Russians and chartered by Americans - Grossman’s third story, and a large part moth friends, icebergs B-15 and C-19) is is a true icebreaker capable of traveling in currently open water, but in a few years it of his documentary, will cover the work of open seas at 15 knots. Bill Fraser, principal investigator with the may not be. In two to four years Luyendyk Seabird Component of the Long Term and Bartek figure that the ice shelf will Ecological Research project, whose study SHIPS have moved northward and covered the of seabirds around Palmer spans 28 years. area they plan to map on this trip and that, Using a hydrophone, Dan also plans to in turn, will enable them to drill. In addi- record sounds of whales, Weddell seals New geology cruise tion, the data collected on this trip will and other sea life. Check out allow the scientists to discover how active www.wbur.org/special/antarctica for fur- By Chris Kenry the currents and sediment deposition have ther details on Dan’s work. NBP correspondent been under the ice shelf. The increased need for volunteer dive The Nathaniel B. Palmer arrived at the Our departure for this cruise has been tenders was another recent change at ice edge about 50 miles (80 km) from delayed a few days as we wait for the Palmer. Incoming scientists studying McMurdo early last week, thus ending the arrival of the man that many aboard the macroalgae and invertebrates conducted last cruise of 2002. To celebrate we had an N.B. Palmer refer to as “god.” In this case successful check-out dives and immedi- evening barbecue on the ice and all god is Marine Technician Jay Ardai, who ately began their underwater work. learned something about the importance was given that revered title for his knowl- A dive tender assists science divers by of sunblock. The next day the departing edge of and ability to fix the often tem- helping them get into their dive gear, carry science party began its helo exodus to peramental seismic equipment. Once he scuba air tanks, stand watch for potential- McMurdo and we, the remaining crew arrives the vessel will set sail for three ly deadly Leopard seals and help haul members, had a few quiet days to regroup and a half weeks before returning to heavily equipped divers into the zodiac and prepare for the next set of grantees to McMurdo at the end of January. the week in weather

McMurdo Station Palmer Station South Pole Station High: 42F/6C Low:23F/-5C High: 46F/8C Low: 28F/-2C High: -9F/-23C Low: -19F/-28C Wind: 37 mph/59 kph Wind: 23 mph/37kph Wind: 22mph/35kph Windchill: -8F/-22C Rain: 0.3 in/8 mm 6 • The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003

Postal From page 3 as classified ads and photos of Antarctic post offices. He said interest in the site has expanded “explosively” since he started it three years ago. Discussions typically focus on polar postal history and “covers” – the philatelic term for postmarked items, de Jong wrote in an e-mail. The items most of interest, predictably, are often those hardest to find. “It’s not only the postmarks polar philatelists are looking for, but also the cachets of the various expeditions, ships, current research campaigns, etc.,” de Jong wrote. “Also to many polar philatelists a cover is even more valuable when it bears the autographs of polar scientists, expedi- tioners and personnel.” Items from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expeditions are probably the most sought after by collectors, followed by anything preceding the U.S. postal presence in 1928, Pierson wrote. He said such items are exceptionally rare and even souvenir Photo by Mark Sabbatini/The Antarctic Sun pieces created during those years often sell Ralph Godinez, an electronics technician aboard the Polar Sea icebreaker, sends a package for hundreds of dollars. Genuine mailings, to his wife from the McMurdo Station post office. such as letters from expedition members, can go for much more. of dollars. But more modest options are line (for regular mail).” “I’ve personally never seen a letter available. Smith said residents of Germany and posted and signed by Scott or Shackleton People interested in starting a collection France seem to send the largest number of while in Antarctic waters, but I know that can do so easily for less than a dollar by requests to the South Pole, but mailings a few exist,” he wrote. “Dig in your wallet sending a self-addressed stamped enve- come from all over the world. for probably $5,000 or more.” lope to one of the stations operated by the “Requests come from people of all Smith said if money were no object the U.S. Antarctic Program. ages,” he wrote. “People who have been item he would be most interested in About 10 philatelic requests arrive with collecting things from Antarctica since the obtaining is the diary left in Robert Falcon each shipment of mail at McMurdo Station, days of Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott Scott’s tent from his doomed expedition to said Christine Hush, the station’s postmas- to schoolchildren.” the South Pole. ter. She said Palmer Station is less popular, Letters don’t have to come to More recent events also attract collectors. since mail is sent to Denver for processing Antarctica to be postmarked. The Post De Jong said one of the items he finds most rather than being stamped there. Office in Cathedral Square in Christchurch interesting is a 1986 cover featuring the Enthusiasts generally agree the South Pole not only sells stamps from the Ross motor vessel Greenpeace during its voyage is the most popular of the U.S. stations. Dependency in Antarctica, but also can to establish the now closed Greenpeace The U.S. Antarctic Program allows phi- frank mail with the Ross Dependency World Park base on Ross Island. latelists to send two covers each year to postmark, a trick Antarctic participants “What makes the cover particularly each of the stations for processing. Workers can use if they didn’t get letters mailed interesting is that it’s signed by the mem- deploying to the Ice are warned they may home from the Ice. bers of the first World Park Base overwin- be targeted by people seeking more. Another easy way to find collectibles is tering team,” he wrote. “While in Antarctica, you may receive through dealers. Sheets of stamps featur- “Another cover that is quite common, unsolicited philatelic mail from collectors,” ing penguins, maps, historic explorers and but which I find fascinating, is a 1957 the program’s participant guide states. “The other Antarctic-related art often sell for as cover from the old South Pole Station. (National Science) Foundation discourages little as a few dollars. They also will send What makes it fascinating to me is that it this unauthorized philatelic activity, and envelopes and other mailings to various was postmarked in a post office that now you will be entirely within your rights in locations on the Ice where people will can- lies buried under meters of snow and ice.” declining to respond to such unsolicited cel them and send them back. Collectors also seek out stamps with requests. Please discard the material in the Pierson said polar philatelists may be Antarctic themes. The first stamps pro- appropriate recycling container.” somewhat limited in number, but compared duced specifically for use in the Antarctic, Hush said they try to accommodate to those who collect other types of stamps according to the commercial Web site requests from collectors who are on-sta- their interest in the subject is strong. Antarctic Philately from New Zealand, tion as program participants as long as “The history of exploration, particular- were issued by the New Zealand Post they don’t interfere with normal postal ly in the southern region, is the most excit- Office on Jan. 15, 1908, and used on mail operations. ing – and tragic – of any place on Earth,” by members of Shackleton’s Nimrod expe- “If they’re a collector they could use Pierson wrote. “Thank goodness many of dition that year. some envelopes and have them post- the brave souls that ventured to these dan- Pierson said stamps from that expedi- marked in a reasonable amount,” she said. gerous places authenticated their sojourns tion, as well as Scott’s Terra Nova expedi- “We can’t have hundreds of them and have by writing home to family members and tion from 1910 to 1913, can cost thousands them done while everybody’s standing in beneficiaries.” January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 7 A shaky view of the sun By Mark Sabbatini and Kristan Hutchison Sun staff cientists in a shipping container buried under the ice near the South Pole are using the sounds of the sun to map activ- Sity that can’t be seen. An improved map of the sun’s lower atmosphere could enable better predicting of activities such as solar flares and coro- nal mass ejections, said Stuart Jefferies, the principal investigator of the project. Better forecasting could minimize problems caused by flare-ups, including large- scale power outages and damage to satellites. The project also may answer mysteries such as why the sun’s outer atmosphere is hotter than its surface, Jefferies said. “We don’t know what to expect at the moment, because this is a new area we’re pushing into,” he said. “What we’re interested in is, can we detect changes in sound speed that are happening over periods of Photo by Mark Sabbatini/The Antarctic Sun days and weeks, and does this tell us any- Paolo Rapex, an electronics technician from the University of Rome, prepares to enter the lab where a team of scientists are studying seismic activity on the sun. The lab is buried in thing about the evolution of the magnetic the snow to minimize the impact its heat would have on a telescope, seen on a hill in the field?” background, that records the solar data. The project, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, is a joint ven- would sound like static. of the high-frequency component of the ture between the University of New The visible part of the sun’s surface is observed signals to produce detailed maps Mexico’s Maui Scientific Research Center the photosphere, while the chromosphere of the acoustic wave travel-time across the and the physics department of the is the portion of the atmosphere being lower part of the solar atmosphere,” University of Rome. studied by Jefferies’ group. Jefferies wrote in a summary of his pro- Studying seismic activity on the sun – “You usually see the chromosphere ject. known as helioseismology – is similar to most easily during eclipses,” he said. “The travel-time measurements will earthquake studies on Earth, except on the The low-frequency sound waves then be inverted to give maps which show sun no single source generates solar “seis- bounce around the sun until they run out of how the speed of sound changes in the mic” waves. Instead they represent a large energy, causing movements within the sun solar atmosphere, both with location and number of activities in the sun’s convec- as they do so. The high-frequency waves time.” tive region, according to a report by just exit the sun after a single round trip to Getting readings at different levels may Jeffries’ team, “so the ringing sun is like a the interior. also help solve the mystery of the sun’s bell struck continually with many tiny Observation of these movements is various temperature levels. The sun’s core sand grains.” being conducted through the Magneto is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 Jeffries and five other scientists are Optical filters at Two Heights (MOTH) million C), the surface about 6,000 charting the maps from high-frequency instrument. It has two telescopes in front degrees Fahrenheit (3,300C) and then the sound waves generated just below the and two magnetoptical filters, one filled temperature rises again to about 1 million sun’s surface. The technique has been used with sodium and the other with potassium degrees Fahrenheit (550,000C) in the for 20 years to study the sun’s core and vapor. The instrument focuses on the sun’s corona. surrounding convection zone, but atmosphere at two different heights – “Nobody knows how the heating of the Jefferies’ group is the first to apply the about 120 miles (200 kilometers) above upper atmosphere is taking place,” he said. technique to the solar atmosphere. the surface for the potassium filter and 300 The South Pole is an ideal location to They also are studying sound waves at to 420 miles (500 to 700 kilometers) for study the sun’s seismic waves because the a higher frequency – more than four – than the sodium filter – measuring the wave atmosphere is exceptionally pure and the is traditional for solar seismology. Such pattern and its travel time. sun is visible 24 hours a day during the sounds are far too low in pitch to be heard Four cameras at the back of the instru- summer. But even in a place this remote by the human ear, but a single wave raised ment take 10 photos per second, which are and cold, certain steps are needed to keep several octaves to bring them within hear- integrated into a single image every 10 man-made heat sources from causing tur- ing range would sound like a tuning fork. seconds as the “eyes” of the telescope fol- bulence in the atmosphere that would All together, the waves – occurring ran- low the sun around the polar sky. domly in millions of places at once – “We will use a time-distance analysis See Sunquakes on page 8 8 • The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003

At right, Stuart Jefferies, left, and Paolo Rapex study solar seismic data in their snow-buried lab. Above, a telescope that observes the solar atmosphere at two different altitudes follows the sun throughout the day.

Sunquakes From page 7

affect their accuracy of their readings. straight days of clear weather during those week, however, meaning the remaining “It’s like looking at a road on a hot seasons. three will work mostly full-time at the lab day,” Jefferies said. “It shimmers.” “Tomorrow we could be in hog heaven until they depart the Ice in early February. The observatory is four miles from for two weeks or we could be scrambling Studies of the sun’s interior during the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in for the rest of the season,” he said. past 30 years have resulted in a number of order to keep numerous heat sources there Keeping the machine running also discoveries, including the fact that the from interfering. But even the observato- proved to be a problem early, due to some sun’s equator rotates faster than its poles, ry’s computers and other electronics are apparent system glitches. Jefferies said the Jefferies said. He said the main goal of his enough to affect measurements, which is bugs have been fixed and as of last week project is to further understanding of solar why the lab is buried and the telescope is the team was enjoying a stretch of good patterns and activity, but there are some located about 100 feet away on a hill of weather. practical applications as well. ice. “Once we are running we just have to Operators of satellites, for example, The key to getting good readings is a watch the computer to make sure it does- could take preventative action during solar long stretch of good weather so the tele- n’t crash,” he said. scope keeps collecting data. It took about three weeks for South “The longer a time series you have, the Pole workers and projects researchers to better,” said Wolfgang Finsterle, one of dig the pit for the observatory and set up the researchers working with Jefferies. the camp, Jefferies said. There is enough “It’s no good to have periodical interrup- room for all five researchers to squeeze tions like day and night.” into the lab if necessary and a sleeping Clouds were a problem for the team trailer is a quarter-mile away, but for the during its initial weeks of research, with most part participants spent their first few L the team unable to get more than a single weeks commuting by snowmobile to and three-day reading. Jefferies, who has par- from the South Pole station. ticipated in a number of previous solar “We try and arrange it so we do shifts, activity projects on the Ice, said just for sanity reasons,” he said. researchers got anywhere from three to 50 Two members of the team left last

Wherever you go, The Antarctic Sun will be there www.polar.org/antsun January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 9

Itase From page 1 a.m. Tuesday from the South Pole. The team returned to Byrd camp, where the tractor treads were fitted with wider runners, including one pair shipped from the U.S. to the field camp in eight days. One sled was also swapped for another borrowed from the New Zealand Antarctic program, which was on skis designed to shed snow. The traverse departed for the second time Dec. 7, but two members of the expedition were forced to leave because the delay would keep them from reaching the Pole in time to return and to fulfill other prior commit- ments. A number of natural factors continued to hinder progress, including an El Nino- like combination of heavy snowpack and relatively warm weather. Uneven terrain and whiteout conditions during storms led to further delays. But the equipment and participants completed the trip without further serious incidents. “I think it went as well as it could,” said Photo courtesy of Dan Dixon/ITASE Betsy Youngman, a Phoenix science Researchers from the 2002-03 International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition collect a teacher who joined the traverse as a field variety of snow, ice and weather data at one of their field camps. The “trains” of science assistant. “It took me a while to adjust to and living huts being pulled by agricultural tractors can be seen in the background. the fact it was so slow.” “I was really impressed by how the “That was probably one of the best because we were in this vast nothingness team held together,” she added. accomplishments of my life,” he said. by ourselves,” Laatsch said. “All of a sud- Mayewski said he had no doubts the The traverse was also forced to alter its den there’s this station. It’s like a ship- traverse would reach the Pole – although route Dec. 18, shortly before reaching its wrecked man seeing an island.” not necessarily with all the equipment third research site, because of poor snow Still, there wasn’t much of a welcome they were carrying – even though the con- conditions and relatively steep hills. when they arrived – it was 3 a.m. at the ditions were worse than expected. Mayewski said the average grade during SPRESO camp and 2 a.m. when they “If we had had a low snow year we the traverse was only about one to five pulled into the South Pole station a day would have gone cruising through this, meters per kilometer, but “when you’re in later. They soon found themselves the cen- even with the equipment we had this deep snow and you don’t necessarily have ter of attention, however, first from the year,” Mayewski said. all the clearance you need below the station’s 220 residents and soon after from U.S. ITASE members collected data for (vehicles) that’s all it can take.” reporters worldwide wanting to know how 11 projects during the trip through meth- Gordon Hamilton and Blue Spikes, the season turned out. ods such as extracting snow and ice sam- who were using high-precision GPS But most of the researchers weren’t ples, taking shallow and deep radar read- instruments to measure the accumulation quite done with their work: Some collect- ings of the area, and using balloons to and melting patterns of the ice sheets, ed additional ice and atmospheric samples measure atmospheric chemistry. Their ini- devised a new route using satellite and at the Pole. Others returned to Byrd camp tial delay meant they spent two to three topography data. to retrieve equipment. Finally, four mem- days at each site, a day or two less than “That’s the beauty of modern travel,” bers, accompanied by a video cameraman, originally planned, but researchers were Hamilton said. “You have those satellite participated in a 60-mile (100km) mini- still able to collect data for all of their pro- images so you can make changes on the traverse toward the Pole of Inaccesibility. jects without any serious problems. fly.” “That is a region of lower (snow) accu- “There was nothing scientific left The expedition reached the bottom of mulation,” Mayewski said, explaining that undone,” Mayewski said. the world on Jan. 2, although it did not go such conditions are likely to be found Some on-the-fly adjusting was neces- directly to Amundsen-Scott South Pole elsewhere along the Transantarctic sary. Jim Laatsch, a field assistant from Station. Instead it veered about five miles Mountains. Dartmouth College making his first tra- out of the way to the South Pole Remote When they returned it was time to face verse, said he thought he would be largely Earth Science Observatory (SPRESO) the outside world, as participants began an observer of a shallow subsurface radar site, where drillers making holes for seis- making plans to return – late in many system gathering information about snow, mic instruments had saved a 1,000-foot cases – to research and teaching work. It ice and other substances as the traverse (300-meter) ice core for ITASE and other was also time to face the media. progressed. But the early departure of two researchers to study. That core, much Mayewski said his first interview team members forced him to take over the deeper than those extracted along the tra- began at about 4:30 p.m. and he continued radar mapping, with the help of some verse route, may contain up to 3,000 years giving interviews intermittently through other participants working on other pro- of climate data. jects. “The Pole was absolutely surreal See ITASE on page 10 10 • The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003 Breaking glass to make something new

By Anne DalVera Glass beverage bottles are emptied rapidly throughout McMurdo, South Pole Station and field camps, whenever and wherever a party occurs. What happens to your empty bottle after you place it in the glass bins? Of course, you would take the cork off your wine bottle and put it in a burnables bin. Janitors and bartenders put the bags of glass bottles into glass triwall boxes outside the buildings. When the triwall is full, a waste equipment operator picks up the box with a forklift and carries it to the waste barn, where it is staged with other boxes until the demand for empty glass triwalls exceeds the reluctance of the crew to crush glass. Crushing glass is one of the least favorite tasks of the waste technicians. It is extremely noisy, repetitive and can be dangerous. Technicians look like space adventurers with heavy-duty dust masks, full face shields, ear protection and large rubber gloves to protect them from glass dust. They pull bags of glass bottles from the triwalls, tear open the bags, and sort the glass into clear, green and brown. Each color of glass has its own crusher. A technician tosses bottles into the correct chute above his/her head. The glass falls down the chute and is broken by a rotating hammer. The pieces, called “cullet,” fall into a 55-gallon drum. When the drums are full, they are pulled out from under the Photo by Anne DalVera/Special to The Antarctic Sun crushers and a lid is secured onto the drum. The 600-pound drum Sarah Wright tosses a beer bottle into the brown glass crusher while Denise Grimm sorts bottles. is identified by the color of glass cullet. Another technician uses an M4K pickle forklift to move the drum into a milvan for ship- Our glass is great quality due to the technicians’ handling of ment to the U.S. each bottle and taking the time to remove all caps and corks After the container ship arrives at Port Hueneme, Calif., the before the glass is tossed into the glass crusher. 13,000-pound glass milvans are loaded on semi trucks for the 15- We use a variety of glass products in the program, from win- mile trip to Del Norte Recycling and Transfer Station, where the dows to glass beakers and water and wine glasses. Unfortunately, glass is combined with a greater quantity of glass of each color those types of glass are not recyclable. from the town of Oxnard. There are no glass remanufacturing Some participants in the U.S. Antarctic Program have interest- facilities in Southern California, so it is shipped out of state, where ing connections to glass away from the Ice as well. Astronaut and it is remanufactured into new glass bottles of the same color. meteorite hunter Cady Coleman says that her husband, Josh The glass market is not paying for glass, especially such Simpson, a renowned glass artist, prefers to use recycled clear small quantities as the U.S. Antarctic program generates — about glass cullet in his work. It produces far fewer noxious fumes when 71,000 pounds — because they get plenty from the nation’s curb- melted than creating glass from sand. Simpson uses blown glass side recycling programs. techniques to create beautiful “planets” from one and a half inch- The Antarctic program pays to recycle its glass, but gets some es in diameter to basketball size, with a myriad of interesting savings from clear or white glass, says Ken Bell of Best Recycling. shapes and colors throughout. These worlds surprise people and “We achieve most of our savings due to the extensive sorting delight the imagination. They can last centuries and have been done on-ice,” Bell said. “The savings are half of the cost of dis- placed around the world. Some of Simpson’s glass planets are posal.” even in Antarctica.

Itase From page 9 the night until a Japanese film crew years, but it’s possible many more road verse – likely a larger convoy without the wrapped things up at 8 a.m. the following trips may be in the station’s future. In addi- scientific research stops – members of this morning. tion to the next proposed ITASE trip, season’s traverse had a few words of But Mayewski said he didn’t mind the National Science Foundation officials are advice for individual travelers – mostly to effort – or the occasional odd comment, studying the feasibility of an overland sup- pack light. such as one story’s reference to the team ply route from McMurdo Station to the Keeping personal gear to a minimum getting more aerodynamic sleds (the trains South Pole, to bring supplies such as fuel and using lighter scientific items where traveled an average of less than 5 mph). and construction materials by ground He said the stories help better inform peo- instead of air. An overland route could be possible – such as plastic containers ple about issues ITASE and other projects more reliable, since it wouldn’t depend on instead of metal – may save only a few are studying, such as global warming and weather, and would also free up more ski- thousand pounds, but those can be critical, climate history, and why there is a need for equipped LC-130 flights to support science Hamilton said. such research. projects on remote parts of the continent. “Pack only what you need,” he said. The traverse was the first large-scale sci- Although the cargo traverses would be “That’s what we thought we did. We were entific traverse to the Pole in about 40 different in nature from the ITASE tra- lean, but still at times fairly heavy.” January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 11

Water From page 1 charge of the water system at Amundsen- Scott South Pole Station. “It’s so pure we have to add stuff to it to (bring it) to U.S. standards.” McMurdo and Palmer stations also end up with water so pure they must add lime- stone or soda ash to the water to raise the hardness and pH levels. In their case it’s because the water has been sent through a reverse osmosis system that allows only the water molecules through, filtering out salt and any other minerals or impurities. If additives weren’t put into the water it would leach the metals out of the pipes. This is a particular concern at McMurdo Station where many of the pipes were connected with lead-based solder, so cal- cium is added to McMurdo water to make it less aggressive. “When there’s nothing in it, it looks for stuff,” Smith said. “It’s aggressive. You need to make it neutral.” Water at all three stations and the field camps is tested regularly to make sure it meets Environmental Protection Agency standards, said Joel Murray, environmental technician in charge of water quality. Chlorine is also added to the water at the larger stations as a preventative. Drinking ice water At the South Pole, the two blue pipes

carrying water in and out of the Rodriguez Photos by Kristan Hutchison/The Antarctic Sun well look identical, but they’re easy to tell Glenn Horning delivers water to the summer dorms at the South Pole from a tank on apart by touch. One is as warm as a fresh skis.The water deliveries continue until the temperature gets too cold. mug of tea, the other like a chilled glass. The cold pipe pumps melted ice out of the well at 14 gallons (53 liters) a minute. keeps the sewer bulb active and prevents ids from the loader into the snow.” The warmer pipe carries excess heated an ice lens from forming and blocking the Henriksen said. water back into the well, where it sprays it outfall,” said Bill Henriksen, South Pole It also takes about a gallon of fuel to out like an upside-down, heated sprinkler. winter site manager. melt 40 gallons of snow, so melted snow The sprayer is initially lowered 6 to 12 The South Pole began using Rodriguez water costs about 40 cents a gallon, inches (15-30 cm) a week as the bottom of wells in 1995. It’s a cheaper process than Henriksen said, after calculating on a the well melts down. mining snow and melting it in a snow scrap of paper based on the average “We kind of chase the water down the melter, as was previously done. Snow $16/gallon cost of fuel at the South Pole. hole until it runs out,” Smith said. “The mining is still used in the winter for the Making water with the Rodriguez well is deeper you go, the harder your pump has elevated dorm and hypertats, which are cheaper because water pumped back into to work, the more energy you have to put too far from the dome to be connected to the well is heated with waste heat from the in to melt the same amount of ice, the the main water system. power plant generators. more cost to run it.” In the summer a loader tows a water “It’s not free, but it’s a byproduct,” When the well gets down to about 500 tank to deliver water to the dorms twice a Henriksen said. feet (150 m), usually in about five years, a day, except Sundays, but after the temper- The snow melt system will stop being new Rodriguez well is started by drilling a ature drops to –50F the water starts to used this winter, as the more distant dorms hole 80 feet (24 m) into the ice and inject- freeze at the tank outlet as it was being are closed down and people move into ing 2,000 gallons (7,560 l) of hot water. moved. Instead, a front-end loader scoops sections of the new elevated station The spray head and well pump are buckets of snow from a clean area set- instead, Henriksen said. The new power installed and the heated water is circulated aside for that purpose and dumps it into a plant has the capacity to produce 6,000 to melt a sufficient bulb before any of the snow melter, basically a large, heated fun- gallons (22,680 l) of water a day, double water is used. nel. the 3,000 gallons (11,340 l) the old plant The old well leaves an empty bulb, “The problem with using surface snow could handle. about 500 feet (150 m) deep and 300 feet in the winter, when it’s dark, is there’s a Even as the water capacity expands, (90 m) in diameter, which is hooked up to potential for contamination from the front water use will continue to be restricted the sewer pipes and refilled. end loader,” Henriksen said. “Care has to because of the cost, Smith said. Everyone “We encourage a little more water be taken to prevent tracking over fresh at the South Pole is allowed only two 2- usage per person in the winter, because it snow and dripping hydraulics or other flu- See Water on page 12 12• The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003

Water From page 11 minute showers and one load of laundry a through preliminary filters to remove any- At Marble Point and Black Island, two week. The station goes through about 25 thing wider than a hair. permanent outlying camps, the snow is gallons (95 l) of water per person a day, Still colder than Caribbean water, the scooped up with a bucket loader and mostly for cooking and laundry, Smith Antarctic sea water is put under 850 dumped into a snow melter, said Randy said. It adds up to 34,000 to 35,000 gallons pounds per square inch of pressure to Noring, camp manager at Marble Point. (128,520-132,300 l) a week in the sum- force it through the reverse osmosis mem- When the snowdrifts melt away, they start mer, when the population peaks at around brane. In the Caribbean it could go pumping water from a nearby lake. 220 people. through at 600 psi. Field camps on the plateau shovel the Palmer Station, with fewer than 50 peo- Every three gallons of seawater pro- snow by hand, setting aside a clean sector ple, has more water per person – 14,600 duces a gallon of fresh water, which dis- upwind of the camp for the purpose. Then gallons for the station in a typical week appears down the drain in a fraction of the a dirty sector is established downwind of mid-December. And that doesn’t include time it took to make it. camp to empty wastewater. the toilets. “As long as the lights are burning and “It’s just the same thing, like you don’t “The fresh water is used for drinking, the water’s gurgling, nobody knows we collect your drinking water downstream cooking, showers, cleaning and science exist down here (at the water plant),” from your sewage,” said Nevada Hanners, uses some that they filter even more,” Dickens said. who spent almost three weeks as a cook at Palmer power plant mechanic Dave Solid water Tamseis Camp on the East Antarctic Ensworth wrote in an e-mail. “The toilets At field camps people are much more plateau. all use sea water.” aware of their water use, since they must Several times a day she shoveled snow Turning seawater fresh gather and melt snow or ice themselves. into a gray garbage can, then pulled it back Reverse osmosis systems at the two Each camp has its own variation on the to the Polarhaven on a banana sled. Each seaside stations have made water cheaper same basic system. Usually the pots of garbage can load melted down to about 20 and more plentiful. Palmer Station used to snow or ice sit a while inside near the quarts. With each person in camp drinking pull water from a pond of glacial melt stove, warming and waiting. A large pot a gallon a day, plus four gallons for dishes behind the station. A reverse osmosis sys- with a spigot sits permanently on the and four to six gallons for cooking, the tem at Palmer generally produces about stove, melting down as the room is heated. quarts went fast. 1.7 gallons (6.4 l) a minute, Ensworth “Basically, you’re always said. doing water,” Hanners said. At McMurdo Station, snow was origi- “Sometimes we would have nally scavenged from the hills and melted water going on the Preway for water. In later years a flash evaporator (stove) and we would be was used. In 1994 the flash evaporator melting it on the Coleman was replaced with a reverse osmosis sys- stove.” tem, cutting the cost of water in half. The The result of all the work McMurdo reverse osmosis units supply was delicious, Hanners said. about 70,000 gallons (264,600 l) a day. “There was no flavor at While reverse osmosis systems are Tam. It was just good, clear common around the world, on cruise ships water,” said Hanners, who and Caribbean Islands, the cold waters of brought some back to Antarctica make purifying salt water trick- McMurdo to drink. “The ier, said Jordan Dickens, who manages the only flavor was if you didn’t McMurdo water and power plants. The wash out your cup good water sucked into the intake pipe is 28F(- enough.” 2C). At that temperature it would freeze In the Taylor Valley, and destroy the fine membrane of the where there’s rarely any reverse osmosis filter, Dickens said. The snow, campers go down to water is heated to 37F(3C) and sent Lake Fryxel and Bonney with pick axes. They swing Water use See Water on page 13 The biggest water user at McMurdo is the galley. Other typical water uses: Shower — 5 gal./min. (2.5 gal./min. for low-flow shower- heads) Toilet — 5 gal./flush (1.6 gal./flush for low-flush toilets) A McMurdo resident Laundry — 35 gal./load (18 enjoys a hot shower. The reverse osmosis water gal./load for front-loaders) treatment system creates Sink — 4 gal./min. (2 gal./min. enough water for daily with aerator) showers, while at the Leaky faucet — 20 gal./day South Pole showers are limited to two minutes twice a week. Photo by Melanie Conner/The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 13 Water From page 12 It’s official, Healy’s coming like miners, diamonds of ice spraying Unusual sea ice conditions in McMurdo Sound up with each downward blow. When will require two Coast Guard icebreakers to insure enough chunks break free, they set that resupply and refueling ships can reach the sta- down the ax and put on gloves tion. marked “ice only” to scoop the ice The U.S. Coast Guard vessel Healy left its home into water pots. Because ice is denser port of Seattle on Jan. 9 to sail south for roughly 27 than snow, a potful goes further, so days. On Feb. 4 or 5 it is expected to join the Coast the chore is done less often than on Guard icebreaker Polar Sea, which has already the plateau. made the initial cut through the ice to McMurdo At Lake Hoare, ice-gathering is a Station, tieing up at the ice pier Jan. 10 to refuel. communal ritual, a bonding event in The Healy is the Coast Guard’s newest icebreak- which people take the sled to the foot er and was designed with features aimed at the sup- of the glacier where chunks of ice port of polar science, particularly in the Arctic. have calved off. They load these Coast Guard officials have assured the National “glacier berries” onto the sled, drive Science Foundation that Healy's Antarctic deploy- them back to the camp and carry ment will not affect planned Arctic research. them up the hill to pile in a box The Coast Guard recommended sending Healy to beside the main building, like wood assist in icebreaking operations, a recommendation stacked for the fireplace. with which NSF concurred. It is possible that Healy “It only takes two people, but it could be recalled if conditions do not warrant its just goes faster, you can get more presence in Antartica. glacier berries with more people,” Photo by Kristan Hutchison/The Antarctic Sun Last year extensive sea ice conditions also said camp manager Rae Spain. A bucket of ice chips at Lake Bonney required that the Polar Sea and Polar Star be sent By December, when the summer waits to be melted down for water. south together. sun melts the glaciers into streams Al Sutherland, the ocean projects manager in and fills the moat around the lake, the glacier berry back to McMurdo to NSF's Office of Polar Programs noted that the ice berry-picking season is over. Instead, serve in party drinks, bartering the remains almost three times farther out from the sta- Spain pumps water from the moat and water source for a bottle of some tion than is normal. carries it up the hill in 5-gallon jugs. other beverage, Spain said. She also Healy is being deployed to help Polar Sea meet When the camp is full, with 14 people prefers Lake Hoare water to the de- two challenges, Sutherland explained. The first is to staying there, the water jugs must be salinated and treated water of break a channel through the ice to Hut Point at filled and hauled every other day. McMurdo. McMurdo Station and to keep it open. The second “It’s all good water. It all ultimate- “When I go into McMurdo I take challenge is to escort a supply ship, called the ly comes from the glacier,” Spain two (full) water bottles with me,” she American Tern and the fuel tanker MV Richard G said. “but I love the glacier berries. said. Matthiesen into McMurdo to prepare the station for They’re more fun. When you put Not all camp water tastes sweet the long austral winter. them in the hot water, all the little and clean though. Lake Fryxell’s Under an agreement with NSF, the Coast Guard bubbles come out. It looks like it is brackish moat leaves an algae flavor provides icebreaking services to the U.S. Antarctic carbonated when you put it in hot in the water, even after it’s been fil- Program. The additional cost to NSF to deploy water because it is releasing com- tered, Spain said. Healy to Antarctica will be roughly $1.2 million. pressed air.” “I like it when it has an earth fla- Additional fuel also will be needed at McMurdo Sometimes visitors ask to bring a vor,” said Hanners. Station to keep both ships running.

“If my wife were “I’m going to say “It could be here, she would be Christmas Day tomorrow because my best Antarctic because you’re always I haven’t had my date.” guaranteed a nice best date yet.” What’s the best Mike Ebiston snowy Christmas and Jeff Gustafson McMurdo Station sheet everybody gets the Palmer station Antarctic date? metal worker from day off.” carpenter from Rockford, Ill. Amanda Betz Warren, Minn. South Pole cargo worker from Cheyenne, Wyo. 14• The Antarctic Sun January 12, 2003 Pr o f i l e From Russia with science By Mark Sabbatini/Sun staff ladimir Papitashvili has been studying Antarctica long Permafrost Studies, where temperatures of-67F (-55C) were con- enough to remember when his native country of Russia sidered normal. worried how traveling through capitalistic nations He spent six years studying the electromagnetic properties of would influence researchers on their way to the Ice. permafrost at various locations across the Russian Arctic. He also V had a curiosity about Antarctica, but there was no program in his Now he’s in charge of a science program run by the largest of those nations. country for studying permafrost in Antarctica at the time. He Papitashvili is the new National Science Foundation science ar gued there was more to study in Antarctica than just ice, but was representative at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The adjust- told it was too far away. ment is more personal than political, as he is making the transition Papitashvili eventually moved back to Moscow with his wife, from a researcher to someone who helps other scientists feel com- which she felt was a place better suited to raise their kids. There he fortable working at the Pole by solving any technical or logistical went to work for the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere problems that arise. and Radio Wave Propagation. He began doing “When you’re a research scientist you geomagnetic studies of Antarctica, but at first only look at things from your perspec- his efforts to go to the Ice himself were reject- tive,” he said. Being a science program ed because he was considered too young. manager “widens your horizons. You “The main reason wasn’t because it was know much more about the science that Antarctica,” he said. “It was considered a for- goes on.” eign trip through the capitalistic centers.” Papitashvili said he spends every day In 1979 he applied to be a Soviet exchange with his camera – which he calls “my scientist at Siple Station, but the conflict with diary” – taking dozens of pictures of peo- Afghanistan temporarily halted Russia’s col- ple and places to help him stay current on laboration projects with the U.S. An t a r c t i c what is happening with various projects. Pr o g r a m . Many at the station know him as some- He got his PhD in 1981, which is when he one who has studied Antarctica for more said he wanted to go to Antarctica. Two years than 25 years, including traverses to later he would get his wish, leading a scientific Ru s s i a ’ s Vostok base and Dome C, and traverse from Russia’s Mirny base to Dome C, other locations, and assume he already where his work included helping Au s t r a l i a n s knows a lot about what’s going on. measure the speed of ice movement. “H o w e v e r , it’s my first trip to the The trip also featured its own bit of history: South Pole,” he said. “Nobody believes One of the men had to have his appendix me . ” removed in the field, which Papitashvili said is A number of researchers and station the first and last surgery during a traverse that employees said they are still getting to he is aware of. He said they rejected offers to know Papitashvili, who started working evacuate the man by air because of the diffi - at the Pole only a few weeks ago, but Photo by Mark Sabbtini/The Antarctic Sun culties building a runway 600 miles from words like “sharp,” “organized” and Vladimir Paptashvili sits in his office at Mirny would entail. “asks questions” were among the early Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and “Me and a mechanic were surgical nurses to im p r e s s i o n s . looks at photos of himself from his first a professional surgeon we had in a traverse “H e ’ s going to take an interest in the visit to the Ice, 20 years ago. team,” he said. place like I’ve never felt before,” said The Australian connection from that trip led Paul Sullivan, a Denver resident who has worked at the South Pole to other Antarctic projects, although he sent an assistant to do the since 1996 and Antarctica since 1994. actual work on the Ice. He also made an impressive wine steward at Christmas dinner, In 1991 he was invited to come to the U.S. for a year as a fel- st a f f said. low for the U.S. Office for International Solar-T errestrial Energy The role of head NSF science representative has been filled with Program (STEP) at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. In rotating NSF staff, or performed by NSF Station Representative 1993 he joined the University of Michigan as a research scientist, Jerry Marty in recent years. But with construction of the new ele- where he worked until accepting the job with NSF. During those vated South Pole station taking up more of Marty’s attention, the years he also participated in a few Antarctic expeditions through need for a longer-term science representative was clear. the U.S. Antarctic Program, including installing a transmitter at “If (research grantees) see an NSF presence on-station they’ll Vostok in 1997 that sends geomagnetic data every 12 minutes feel like they’ll be more listened to,” Sullivan said. through a Japanese geostationary satellite. Data from the satellite In addition to “troubleshooting” at the Pole, Papitashvili is can be seen at http://www.s p r l . u m i c h . e d u / m i s t . responsible for reviewing grant requests during the off-season as Papitashvili noted that while 20 of the 29 current science pro- the NSF’s Office of Polar Program’s manager for An t a r c t i c jects at the South Pole station belong to the program he manages at Aeronomy and Astrophysics. He said he has been hired by NSF as NS F , little if any of the work involves studying the Pole itself. a “rotator,” meaning he will spend two years in the position before Instead, researchers focus on the skies for astronomy, geomagnet- returning to his research work. ic field and aurora, getting readings not possible elsewhere in the Papitashvili graduated from the University of Leningrad in wo r l d . 1969 with a degree in geophysics and geology. He then went to the “W e are using Antarctica as a platform,” he said. “and this is a city of Yakutsk, in the middle of Siberia, home of the Institute for great place to be.”